Regions

October 2008: Datasheet
Although African women use family planning more and bear fewer children, the continent's youthful population will fuel the continent's growth for many decades to come, according to the 2008 Africa Population Data Sheet.

August 2007: Article
In 2005, about 191 million people, or 3 percent of the world's population, were international migrants. Between 1995 and 2000, around 206 million migrants per year moved from less developed to more developed regions.

June 2007: Report
This Population Bulletin looks at recent demographic trends in the Middle East and North Africa and how they interact with social and economic forces of change. It shows how this high-profile region is being transformed by mortality and fertility declines and a veritable revolution in marriage patterns and family planning use.

April 2007: Report
Despite oil resources and major improvements in health and education, the Middle East and North Africa region is not meeting the changing needs of its rapidly growing young population. This PRB policy brief gives an overview of demographic trends among MENA youth and the implications of these trends for the region's human and economic development. This policy brief is also available in Arabic.

April 2007: Report
In the Middle East and North Africa, the risks associated with sexual relationships, both married and unmarried, are heightened by young people's lack of access to information and services related to sexual and reproductive health. Programs that provide such information and services would prepare young people to make more informed decisions about marriage, sexual relationships, and childbearing.

February 2007: Report
This PRB policy brief helps raise awareness among decisionmakers in the Middle East and North Africa about the urgent need for action by presenting some HIV/AIDS warning signs, risks, and vulnerabilities in the region. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in MENA is low but increasing in every country in the region.

February 2006: Report
Morocco recently adopted an entirely new family law that is consistent with the spirit of Islam, yet based on equal rights for both men and women. This policy brief is also available in Arabic.

January 2006: Report
This PRB policy brief outlines why prioritizing women's reproductive health at a national level would help accelerate progress in the MENA region toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

December 2005: Report
Universal, early marriage is no longer the standard it once was in Arab countries: The average age at marriage for both men and women is generally rising, and more Arab women are staying single longer or not marrying at all. These trends are introducing new issues into Arab societies that confront deeply rooted cultural values and raise legal and policy challenges.&nbsp

September 2004: Report
This policy brief gives an overview of Muslim countries' policies on and support for family planning and modern contraception. It reviews Islamic jurisprudence and justifications for sanctioning family planning.